James Franco NOT studying at UH in the fall

James Franco will NOT attend the University of Houston’s creative writing program in the fall.

James Kastely, director of UH’s creative writing program, got an email from Franco in mid-February saying he would not be coming.

“His plans do not permit him to enroll in the doctoral program this fall,” Kastely said, confirming a report from Backstageol.com. “The problem is, he’s just very busy, so the future is uncertain.”

The actor — who published “Palo Alto,” a collection of short stories, in 2010 — was accepted into the UH doctoral program last April, for fall 2011.

At the time, Kastely said that 20 people are admitted to the graduate program each year, from a pool of approximately 400 applicants.

Franco deferred his acceptance for one year. And now that the actor has pulled out for this year, it’s up to UH faculty to decide if he’ll have to reapply should he decide to attend at a later time.

Kastely is impressed with Franco.

“He’s actually been a very responsible applicant,” Kastely said. “He gets back to me right away. He’s been highly professional through the entire process.”

Franco, 33, appears to be as committed to academia as he is to acting.

As an actor, he is known for playing Harry Osborn in the Spider-Man trilogy, for his recurring role on soap opera “General Hospital,” for his Oscar-nominated performance in “127 Hours,” and his poor peformance as co-host of the 2011 Academy Awards.

As an academic, Franco has also been busy, enrolling in graduate programs at Yale University, New York University, Columbia University and Brooklyn College. Franco received a master’s degree in writing from Brooklyn College, according to the school’s website.

Next month, Franco will bring “Francophrenia (or: Don’t Kill Me, I Know Where the Baby Is)” to the Tribeca Film Festival. Apparently, it’s a thriller/documentary about his experience on “General Hospital.”